Our reporter (Wang Qiushi) Beijing - Mr. Zhou frequently received harassment calls at home, and he suspected that it was Mr. He's doing. Therefore, he demanded 20,000 yuan as compensation from Mr. He. After paying the money, Mr. He reported to the police and Mr. Zhou was arrested. Yesterday, Mr. Zhou was tried in Haidian Court on charges of extortion.
Mr. Zhou, aged 52, has a junior high school education. In 1981, he was sentenced to 15 years in prison for rape, and was paroled in May 1991. According to the prosecution, between May and July last year, Mr. Zhou believed that the harassment calls his family received were made by Mr. He. As a result, he used violent threats such as smashing doors to forcibly demand 20,000 yuan from Mr. He. On July 27, at noon, after receiving 20,000 yuan in cash from Mr. He downstairs at the Zhongguancun Science and Technology Development Building, Mr. Zhou left immediately. Mr. He then sought help from patrolling officers nearby, who arrested Mr. Zhou and recovered the 20,000 yuan on the spot.
In court, Mr. Zhou claimed that before the incident, his wife often received harassment calls at home. The caller accused Mr. Zhou of having an inappropriate relationship with a female colleague. He suspected that it was Mr. He making these calls. He also stated that he only questioned Mr. He and never threatened him with violence or forcibly asked for money. Instead, it was Mr. He who proposed to "privately settle" the matter. However, Mr. He's testimony showed that Mr. Zhou repeatedly threatened him with his past imprisonment experience, leaving him no choice but to agree to pay the money. The verdict of the case was not announced in court.
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